Chief amongst them is the story of a Somali Bravanese community
in North London, whose centre was burned to the ground in 2013 by
what would appear to be a group of English thugs (police are
still investigating, but EDL- English Defence League was found
scrawled in red near the scene of the crime). It happened shortly
after the killing of Lee Rigby and was one of many Islamophobic
attacks that occurred across the UK.

While the crime proved initially devastating to the Somalis –
most of whom had come as refugees fleeing the civil war and had
built the centre from scratch – it soon became a catalyst for
interfaith harmony.

This is the third Ramadan in a row that their special evening
prayers will be hosted by the Finchley Reform Synagogue. While
the Somalis wait for the local council to assign them suitable
replacement premises for their many community programs, they have
bonded with the local Jewish community over interfaith iftars and
shared meals of African and Eastern European cuisine.

“Whenever anyone talks to me about anti-Semitism in the
UK,” says Rabbi Mariam Berger, whose congregants include
many who fled 1930’s Europe for safety in the UK, “I tell
them ‘it’s no picnic being a Muslim in Britain today.”

“When the arson attack happened,” relates Rabbi Berger,
who sees Islamophobia and anti-Semitism as opportunities for
solidarity, “there was a visceral response from the local
Jewish community. It was hard not to think of
Kristallnacht.”

I can only imagine that creating solidarity between Jews and
Muslims in the UK was hardly the outcome the arsonist/possible
EDL supporter was seeking. But like the Wile E Coyote of the
fascist world, his crime boomeranged back and created a very
different result.

One could say the same thing of white supremacist Dylann Roof –
whose hopes of starting a “race war” in the US by killing nine
black parishioners at the Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston,
South Carolina seem to have been dashed by examples of unity,
love and forgiveness between blacks and whites, even as more
black churches burn.

As Hillary Clinton noted, watching the mourning families forgive
the young white killer, was like watching Nelson Mandela embrace
his former jailers.

Similarly, a recent incident of vandalism of a Catholic Church in
Mississauga, Ontario, became a vehicle for Muslim-Christian
harmony.

When a mentally disturbed young Muslim man broke into the St.
Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church and destroyed religious
icons, broke the altar and ripped out pages of the bible, a local
imam offered assistance.

Imam Hamid Slimi and his congregations raised $5,000 in a single
night to help the beleaguered church. Now members of both faiths
are getting to know each other in a whole new light.

The historic Church of the Multiplication near the Sea of
Galilee, the site many Christians believe to be the place where
Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes, was heavily
damaged last week in an arson attack perpetrated by alleged
Jewish extremists.

A passage from a Jewish prayer, calling for the elimination of
idol worship, was found scrawled in red spray paint on a wall
outside the church.

An Israeli conflict resolution group called Mosaica is now
raising funds to assist with repairs in conjunction with the
Elijah Interfaith Institute. In the online appeal, that has
already raised $1,000 of their $12,000 goal- the extremist
graffiti is countered with a proverb to the effect of “what is
broken can also be repaired.”

Like the lesson of feeding the multitudes with a few fish and a
loaf of bread - even small gestures of solidarity and community
building can make a big difference in resolving differences
between different faiths, cultures, and races.

After the horrific attack on mainly British tourists in Tunisia,
it was heartening to see the sense of mutual solidarity grow
between tourists and locals. On the BBC, a British woman tourist
and frequent visitor spoke of standing with the Tunisians at
their time of crisis– who she said were “lovely, hospitable
people.” Abandoning Tunisia as a destination, she said,
would be “the worst thing we could do right now,” as it
would help cripple an already struggling economy and post-Ben Ali
fledgling democracy. Locals staged a heartfelt vigil, expressing
outrage at the attack and condolences for the victims. Many
tourists said they would stay on in spite of everything.

I hope that peace and stability will return quickly to Tunisia.

But I also hope that amidst all the horror stories of “blowback”
happening around the world, a new model is emerging. One that
promotes forgiveness, harmony and solidarity rather than an
endless cycle of hate, violence and revenge.

So as the Somalis take their Ramadan iftar in the North Finchley
Reform Synagogue, and blacks and whites pray together in South
Carolina, I hope that all faiths will recall their obligations to
love and help their neighbors and to “do unto others as you
would have them do to you.”

After all, the “golden rule” is the best defense against
“blowback.”

Hadani Ditmars for
RT

Hadani Ditmars has been
reporting from Iraq since 1997 and is the author of Dancing in
the No Fly Zone. Her next book Ancient Heart is a political
travelogue of historical sites in Iraq.www.hadaniditmars.com

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.